Chapter 34

Runsheng was riding the car happily in front, only feeling that this blue sky, white clouds, fields, and water channels were all so beautiful at this moment.

Since he was sensible, every time his grandfather said to him:

"Runsheng Hou, Grandfather is going to play cards; wait until I win money tonight and buy meat for you to eat!"

At first, Runsheng really looked forward to it; later, every time he heard this, he would immediately run to the rice jar to check if the remaining rice was enough to cook a pot of porridge that could stand chopsticks for the two of them at night.

Today, Runsheng finally realized that playing cards... it could actually win money.

Under the long-term "family education influence," it almost made him feel that playing cards was like offering sacrifices to Bodhisattvas during festivals, a kind of sacrifice.

Looking at Li Zhuiyuan sitting in the back, his complexion wasn't that beautiful.

Under his feet was a bag of money, with small, large, new, and wrinkled ones; although this money wasn't that exaggerated in absolute numbers, considering the prices and labor in the countryside at this time, it was enough for him to start a small manual workshop behind Great-Grandfather's house.

Occasionally having good card luck was normal; which family didn't eat dumplings during the New Year?

Essentially, this was still a probability problem.

But when a series of luck smashed down densely, the problem gradually transformed from probability theory into metaphysics.

Associating with the memory loss after his fortune-turning ritual last night, Li Zhuiyuan could almost conclude now: the ritual, took effect.

Taking effect didn't necessarily mean success; it just meant it had an effect, brought changes, and even whether this change was good or bad was open to question.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how much fortune Great-Grandfather had turned to him, but looking at the "cooperative performance" of the people at the card table just now, it should have been quite a lot.

Liu Yumei had told him that Great-Grandfather's fortune wasn't that easy to take; this was more like a transaction.

Qin Li and Auntie Liu, with such low wages, were working like cattle and horses at Great-Grandfather's house, doing all kinds of work; what they sought wasn't precisely the few coins in the corners that Liu Yumei spoke of.

He took so much at once; then, what kind of price would he pay for this next?

At this moment, there was no full happiness, only overflowing fear.

Li Zhuiyuan looked down; he felt that his behavior of consuming fortune to gamble... was very stupid.

Like a short-sighted grave robber, risking his life to go through hardships and finally get down to the tomb, but his eyes only had those gold and silver cakes, completely ignoring art pieces like clothes, bronzes, and porcelain.

"Brother Runsheng, don't let go of both hands."

"Alright, Little Yuan."

"Brother Runsheng, ride a bit slower."

"Alright, Little Yuan."

"Brother Runsheng, ride a bit to the side; no, you'd better ride a bit in the middle."

"..."

"Forget it, Brother Runsheng, just ride normally."

Just now, Li Zhuiyuan felt a chill in his heart; he was worried whether an accident would suddenly happen, for example, giving himself a serious car accident?

But after a brief anxiety, he immediately returned to calm.

If the backlash of Great-Grandfather's fortune was only like this, it was somewhat too cheap, even making people feel they had taken advantage.

But the more it was like this, the more uneasy Li Zhuiyuan felt, because this meant that on the "road ahead" in the near future, what was waiting for him would be a big one.

The tricycle drove into Shan Shan Shan Daye's house; Runsheng scratched his head and asked Li Zhuiyuan:

"Little Yuan, can I borrow some money from you first for my grandfather to buy some things to stock up? When your Great-Grandfather pays me my wages, I'll pay you back."

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

If it were in the past, he would definitely say very indifferently: you can take it as you please.

But this money, won purely by fortune and not by skill, made him feel a bit hot; handing this hot potato to Shan Shan Shan Daye seemed somewhat unkind.

Li Zhuiyuan rummaged in the bag and took out a few sheets; this amount didn't exceed his capital, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

"No need for so much, really no need for so much; I'll just buy some more rice, flour, and oil for him; you gave too much, Little Yuan."

"It's fine, buy a bit more."

"Can't buy too much; if I buy too much for him, it'll be convenient for him to sell it; by then, he might not even have rice to eat."

"You still consider it comprehensively."

"Hehe."

"By the way, Brother Runsheng, keep the matter of me winning money playing cards secret; don't tell anyone."

"But how to explain this money..."

"Just say you won it."

"Mm, alright."

"Brother Runsheng, where is your toilet?"

"Over there, go around the field ridge behind the house; it's the neighbor's toilet; we share it."

"Oh, alright."

Li Zhuiyuan had just gone out when Shan Shan Shan Daye ran back from outside.

Although the old man was old and his body wasn't good, he was still very energetic.

This seemed very contradictory, but it wasn't; such old people generally wouldn't linger on a sickbed for too long, but once their time was up, they would leave very quickly.

That was what the neighbors often said: "I thought his body was still quite sturdy, sigh, how did he just disappear like that."

Shan Shan Shan Daye ran back in a hurry for two reasons; one was because his money was lost.

He had a habit; if he lost when playing cards, he lost; but he would never borrow money to turn the tables.

The second was because he heard that his own Runsheng had won a large sum of money at the big hall!

The person who passed the message naturally couldn't pass it so delicately, and they didn't know Li Zhuiyuan, so it naturally became money won by Runsheng playing cards.

"Grandfather, you're back..."

"Slap!"

Shan Shan Shan Daye slapped Runsheng hard on the face.

"I told you not to learn bad things and go play cards!"

"I was wrong, Grandfather."

"Where is the money?"

"Ah?"

"I'm asking you, where is the money you won?"

"In the car."

Shan Shan Shan Daye walked to the tricycle and saw that bag of money; his eyes went straight.

"This... did you win all this?"

"Not, ah no, right, it was won by me."

"It's not appropriate for a child like you to hold so much money; I'll keep it for you."

"No, it won't do."

"Why, won money and reluctant to give it to Grandfather?"

"The capital, right, the capital is Little Yuan's; it's his pocket money."

"Oh, like that..." Shan Shan Shan Daye divided half of the money in the bag, "Then I'll keep your share for you."

"Grandfather, this, this won't do, this..."

"Alright, stop talking nonsense, just like this; what are you still doing at home?"

"Aren't we eating together, Grandfather; I'll go to town to cut some meat later, and we two will have a good meal."

"Eat what eat, you and Little Yuan Hou eat; Grandfather is busy."

After saying this, Shan Shan Shan Daye rushed back to the battlefield, running while touching the heavy "bullets" in his bosom, feeling very excited; in his life, he had never fought such a wealthy battle.

Li Zhuiyuan returned and saw Runsheng standing there with an embarrassed and awkward face.

"Little Yuan, I'm sorry..."

After listening to Runsheng's account, Li Zhuiyuan was stunned.

"Little Yuan, I'm waiting here for you to return to seek your consent; let's explain the truth clearly; I'll go to the hall now to take your money back from my grandfather's hands!"

"No need, Brother Runsheng; it was earned by you and me together; it's only right to give half to Shan Shan Shan Daye."

"Little Yuan, aren't you angry?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head; not only was he not angry, but he was also a bit moved.

"Brother Runsheng, aren't you going to buy things for Shan Shan Shan Daye? Go quickly."

"But, my grandfather has already taken away so much money..."

"What should be bought still needs to be bought."

"Little Yuan, you are really a good person."

Runsheng rode the car to buy things; Li Zhuiyuan found a small stool and sat down in this courtyard.

Tapping his forehead with his finger, he began to recall the content in the book regarding this aspect, to be precise, how this money should be used.

He found it; according to the logic in the book: he could use this money.

But it must be based on fairness, or him taking advantage, meaning he must buy things at a fair price or press the price down himself; he absolutely couldn't let the person selling things or selling labor to him feel that he was kind, feel that they had taken advantage of him.

Otherwise, the other party would be equivalent to sharing this karma, because you also enjoyed the extra benefits of this money.

"No wonder, there is the saying of implicating the whole family in ancient times..."

Although the actual purpose was to strengthen the deterrence of illegal acts, from a legal perspective, even a child in the family enjoyed the benefits brought by the family's illegal gains.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and stretched; Runsheng also happened to return.

"Little Yuan, I bought some cooked food; Grandfather is not here, so we'll have lunch ourselves."

"Alright."

Runsheng brushed the pot, burned the fire, and cooked; besides the braised pork liver and cold jellyfish silk he bought, Runsheng also fried an egg and boiled a loofah soup.

However, the fried egg was burnt, and the soup was sticky and not refreshing at all.

"Little Yuan, my craftsmanship is just like this."

Runsheng bit a piece of incense, then ate a chopstick of egg himself, and took a sip of soup, as if he were actively testing for poison.

Li Zhuiyuan also expressed understanding; you couldn't expect someone who usually couldn't even get dry food to eat to have any superb culinary skills.

After the meal, Runsheng cleaned up the house and courtyard, then rode the car, bringing Li Zhuiyuan home.

Turning from the road into the village path, he saw Pan Zi and Lei Zi, both dirty, pushing a cart of bricks and walking.

Nowadays, summer jobs weren't easy to find even in the city, let alone in the countryside.

Places further away weren't convenient for commuting, so the kiln factory near home was a relatively better place; although it was hard, fortunately, it could be settled daily.

It was also quite suitable for young people like Pan Zi and Lei Zi to earn some money to play with during the summer vacation.

"Brother Pan Zi, Brother Lei Zi!"

"Hey, Yuan Zi."

"Heh, Yuan Zi."

The corner of Pan Zi's mouth had blood scabs, and Lei Zi's eyebrows and eyes still had bruises; these were all traces of fatherly love.

"Yuan Zi, it's good that you left early that day, haha."

"Exactly, fortunately you left first, otherwise we would have had to go to the police station to squat with us, and we had to draw blood."

"Brother, thank you for not telling on me."

"How could that be; we are brothers; how could we do something that betrays brothers."

"Exactly, you are our younger brother; how could brothers not protect their younger brother."

Actually, they weren't tough enough to deliberately want to help Little Yuan hide, but they knew very clearly that if they told this matter, letting their father and grandfather know that they actually dared to take Little Yuan Hou to watch yellow movies, they feared they would be beaten even more severely.

"Brother, are you still going back to the kiln?"

"Right, we are delivering bricks to the kiln today." Lei Zi said, taking a cigarette from his pocket, not knowing who gave it to him; holding the cigarette, he very dashingly pulled out a match and lit it, took a puff, and then handed it to Pan Zi.

Pan Zi took it, took a puff, and handed it to Runsheng.

This kind of sharing one cigarette among brothers was very common at this time; cigarettes in small shops could even be sold by the stick.

Runsheng shook his head, took out an incense stick, lit it with a match, took a puff, and exhaled smoke rings.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi were both stunned, asking: "What are you smoking?"

Runsheng answered: "Authentic incense cigarette."

Immediately after, Runsheng handed this burning incense to them, intending to share.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi shook their heads repeatedly, declining the good intention.

Immediately after, Pan Zi looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Little Yuan, tomorrow Fourth Sea's family is going to fish the pond; we two are going to help; do you want to come? A meal is provided, and there is fish to take."

"I won't go; Great-Grandfather hasn't allowed me to go out recently; today was only an exception because I accompanied Brother Runsheng to send things to his grandfather."

"Oh, like that; then that's really a pity."

"Then we'll send you a fish tomorrow night."

"No need, you take it home to eat. Brother, you're busy, I'll go back first."

"Alright, we'll go find you to play another day, Yuan Zi."

After the tricycle drove a distance, Runsheng asked curiously: "Little Yuan, don't you want to play with that group of brothers of yours?"

"No, they are quite good to me."

"Then you..."

"Brother Runsheng, I just don't plan to go out recently."

Before solving the problem of the fortune on his body, Li Zhuiyuan decided not to go out unless necessary, especially places involving water; he absolutely wouldn't go.

Pan Zi and Lei Zi calling him to watch people fish the pond was already a very big taboo; he worried that if he were to go now, heaven knows what else would be fished out besides fish.

Returning home, not seeing A Li sitting behind the threshold of the east room on the dam, Li Zhuiyuan guessed that the girl should be in her room now.

She had indeed changed a lot, no longer purely sitting there in a daze; even when he wasn't there, she would have some subjective actions.

Liu Yumei sat on a chair at the door of the east room, her hands folded before her chest, eyes closed as if she were napping.

Upon noticing someone returning, she slowly opened her eyes, looked at the boy with a nonchalant gaze again, and at the same time, the fingers of her left hand, placed under her sleeve, began to pinch alternately.

Then, she had to stop again.

Because the boy turned his head, leaving the back of his head to her, while asking Auntie Liu in the west room what was for dinner and how the incense was being made, and while maintaining this posture, walked into the room.

Liu Yumei felt a wave of confusion in her heart: was it a coincidence or intentional?

It should be a coincidence; if it were intentional, that would be too ridiculous.

To be able to perceive her calculation, at least the physiognomy attainment had to be at the same level as her; how was that possible?

She knew this child was reading books, and also knew this child had crafted a batch of practical tools according to the designs in the books; after contacting him time and time again, she knew even better how smart this child was.

She had already pulled this child very high in her heart, and also barely admitted that this child could be considered to have walked onto this road, but no matter what, it wouldn't reach that kind of outrageous degree.

Liu Yumei had always been in this house, so she was sure that the boy had no teacher; Qin Li only taught him to stand in a horse stance; if one could reach that height just by reading books, wouldn't her age all have been lived on a dog?

It was just that today's matter was permeated with a sense of wrongness; how could the fortune on Li Sanjiang's body suddenly be so empty?

She had to observe again tomorrow; if the emptiness on Li Sanjiang's body could still be slowly replenished, then everything would remain as usual, but if it kept being empty like this, then the matter would be troublesome.

In a state of agitation, Liu Yumei stood up; she wanted to go back to the room and chat with the "big guys."

Sitting before the altar, picking up a piece of shortbread, just preparing to start the conversation, she suddenly looked suspiciously at the ancestral tablets on the altar:

"Why does it feel, a bit sparse?"

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs and saw Li Sanjiang pouring laundry powder into his hands.

Beside the water vat, on the stone slab, sat a basin of hot water, with a towel hanging on it.

"Great-Grandfather, didn't you wash it this morning?"

Li Zhuiyuan had roughly guessed why.

Li Zhuiyuan roughly guessed why.

"Little Yuan Hou, why did you come back so early; didn't Mountain Cannon keep you for dinner before leaving?" "Mm, Mountain Cannon is busy playing cards."

"Heh, this old thing, it's just this stinking virtue; by the way, did you buy the things?"

"Bought, rice, flour, and oil are all added. Great-Grandfather, you really care about Shan Shan Shan Daye."

"Of course, if he starved to death, when there is a big job again, I won't be able to find a helper, although Mountain Cannon has a stinking temper, his ability is there, and he can help every time."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, indeed.

"Little Yuan Hou, what's in the black bag you're holding?"

Li Zhuiyuan lifted a bag of money: "Bought some candy for A Li; Great-Grandfather, do you want to taste one?"

Like last time, Li Zhuiyuan still intended to ask Auntie Liu to be responsible for helping him purchase and negotiate prices; with Auntie Liu's professionalism, she could definitely spend the money on the blade.

If he went himself, not knowing the industry and not buying things often, it would be easy to be eaten by money.

Business is business, seeing people and opening prices, Li Zhuiyuan could also understand, so he didn't go himself; he wasn't a sower of bad luck, and those small vendors didn't deserve that.

Actually, just now downstairs, Li Zhuiyuan originally intended to hand this money to Auntie Liu, but who told Grandma Liu to be secretly watching him.

Really, looking in the morning, looking in the afternoon, she wasn't tired of it.

"I don't eat that; you get me another towel."

"Mm."

After getting a towel for Li Sanjiang, Li Zhuiyuan walked toward his room.

Halfway, he pushed open the door of Li Sanjiang's bedroom, originally wanting to check the formation on the tiles again, but found it had been wiped away.

He still didn't understand until now; he had clearly moved his hands and feet to modify it yesterday, but how could this formation still be effective?

Stepping back a few steps, turning to the side, he looked at Great-Grandfather who was still washing his hair there.

The most helpless thing was that he couldn't discuss this matter with Great-Grandfather, even if Great-Grandfather was the most important party involved.

Because Li Zhuiyuan knew, even if he let Great-Grandfather reproduce the formation diagram he drew last night, Great-Grandfather would guarantee to draw a new one for you.

Arriving before his bedroom door, pushing open the door, Li Zhuiyuan saw A Li sitting on a small stool, carving wooden shavings with a carving knife.

He actually hadn't told A Li that the black canvas was broken, but the girl discovered it herself and took the initiative to help him replenish the wooden shavings.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the opposite side of the girl, watching the girl carving seriously.

This scene was very much like the past when he watched himself reading seriously.

The girl carved and carved, occasionally raising her eyelids to look at him, also very much like his response to the girl when he was reading at that time.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that this should be the most comfortable way of getting along between friends. No accommodation, all enjoyment.

Watching quietly like this for a good while, Li Zhuiyuan's originally anxious heart also seemed to have completely calmed down.

He stood up, walked to the desk, and intended to put the money won this time in first.

Opening the drawer to look, inside were not only four stacks of brand-new money, but also six small yellow fish (gold bars).

No need to guess, he knew who put them there.

Although Li Zhuiyuan definitely wouldn't want this money and gold bars, he was going to take them down and return them to Grandma Liu later.

But how to say it, it didn't affect his heart being corroded a bit at this moment, especially after looking at the black bag in his hand again...

It turned out that he didn't have to be so hard-working.

Li Zhuiyuan found an empty box, put the money and gold bars in the drawer into it, then walked to the girl, sat down again, and said very seriously:

"A Li, thank you; seeing these you sent me, I'm really happy, but I can't take them."

A Li stopped the carving knife in her hand, raised her head, and looked at the boy.

In her eyes, an expression of incomprehension flowed; she didn't understand, she saw the boy looking at the money in his hand and smiling in the morning, so why did he not want it when she gave it to him?

Moreover, every time Li Sanjiang gave him pocket money, he took it, and smiled very happily.

Clearly, her family had many, many such things.

"A Li, gifts are also divided into light and heavy and suitable; next time before you send me things, you can ask me first; if it's suitable, then I'll take it, okay?"

A Li revealed a look of contemplation, then nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned; he just saw the girl nod, and the amplitude was very large, not the kind of imperceptible one from before.

"A Li, did you really understand?"

The girl nodded again, indicating she understood.

"Then if you didn't understand, how would you express it?"

The girl shook her head, with the same amplitude as a normal person.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face; this meant that the girl's illness had recovered a big step today.

Although he didn't know because of what.

Li Zhuiyuan's smile suddenly stiffened for a moment; it wouldn't be... because of him today?

Trying hard to exclude the worries in his heart, Li Zhuiyuan intended to chat about something happy:

"Auntie Liu said she bought some wood-smoked ham today; it seems to be produced in Jinhua, Zhejiang; tonight we can taste it; A Li, have you eaten wood-smoked things before?"

A Li shook her head.

"It's a special flavor made by using this kind of smoke to smoke... mm?"

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a piece of wooden shaving beside him.

Last time when making the black canvas, the wooden shavings inside were taken from the woodshed by himself, and then pushed out with a small pusher.

This time A Li was doing it herself, meaning the wooden shavings were pushed out by herself.

However, why were the wooden shavings this time not yellowish-white, but pitch-black and shiny, and also carried a special fragrance, which smelled quite good.

"A Li, what wood did you use to push it?"

A Li pointed under the small table.

Li Zhuiyuan looked down and his eyes widened directly, because what was placed under the table were three ancestral tablets!

"Grandma Liu, return this to you."

Inside the east room, Li Zhuiyuan placed the box containing the money and gold bars on the table beside Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei opened the box, glanced at it, and covered it back.

"Grandma, aren't you counting?"

"They've all been sent back; what's there to count."

"That's good."

Li Zhuiyuan put a fertilizer bag on the table as well.

Liu Yumei uncovered the bag, looked inside, then immediately stood up, took out the three ancestral tablets, wiped them, and placed them on the altar.

"A Li, Grandma will give you whatever you want to play with, but what's fun about ancestral tablets; don't move them next time."

Liu Yumei was still soft-spoken until now, not scolding her granddaughter.

Then, she began to count the ancestral tablets one by one with her fingers.

She seemed to have forgotten that she had just said: they've all been sent back, what's there to count.

"Eh, why are there still a few missing?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't answer, because the missing ones had already become wooden shavings.

He couldn't pack that bag of wooden shavings and bring it over, and besides, half of them had already been carved with patterns by A Li.

"Little Yuan, did you look again; maybe after A Li took them out, they fell somewhere else?"

"Grandma, I looked; there are only these three."

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't deliberately shirking responsibility, but he felt that for Liu Yumei, she could definitely accept the loss of ancestral tablets rather than the dismemberment of ancestral tablets.

"Sigh."

Liu Yumei looked at Qin Li with some resentment.

The good news was that her granddaughter wasn't interested in anything before, but now she was clearly lively, and would even take family money to give to outsiders.

But you can take money or gold bars, why take ancestral tablets?

"Grandma Liu, I told A Li that she won't move the ancestral tablets again; tell me, am I right, A Li?"

A Li nodded.

Liu Yumei could only helplessly stroke her forehead; immediately after, she shuddered and looked at A Li in disbelief.

Li Zhuiyuan: "A Li, Grandma wants to confirm if you know; tell Grandma quickly, you know."

A Li nodded again.

Liu Yumei immediately shed tears, turned her head to look at the altar, and said with a crying voice:

"The ancestors have manifested, the ancestors have blessed!"

Walking out of the east room, helping to close the door, inside, Liu Yumei was thanking the ancestors on the altar with A Li.

Li Zhuiyuan let out a long breath; this matter was considered to have been fooled by him.

He hurriedly went upstairs, brought down the bag of money, and handed it to Auntie Liu who was busy in the kitchen.

"Little Yuan, where did you get so much money?"

Runsheng happened to be in the kitchen too, eating incense while smelling the fragrance in the pot waiting for dinner, and answered directly:

"I won it playing cards!"

Auntie Liu looked at Runsheng with suspicious eyes; clearly, she didn't believe it.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Auntie Liu, this is the list; please help me purchase another batch of things, and then, please find two masons to help me build a small workshop behind the house against the back wall; it doesn't need to be too big, about the same as the woodshed."

Runsheng said: "No need to hire people; I'll do it; I know how to build walls; the surrounding wall at home was built by me."

Li Zhuiyuan ignored Runsheng's self-recommendation; he had seen the collapsed state of Shan Shan Shan Daye's surrounding wall today.

He didn't want the house to collapse and bury him inside when he was busy in the workshop later.

"Alright, Auntie knows."

"Also, Auntie, you have to pay attention."

"Pay attention to what?"

"This money is not clean; don't dirty your hands."

"Mm?" Auntie Liu touched the bag, revealed an understanding look, and nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

Runsheng asked confusedly: "Does it matter whether this money is dirty or not?"

"Yes, Brother Runsheng; paper money passes through many people's hands during circulation, so there must be many bacteria on it."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

There was still a period of time before dinner; Li Zhuiyuan didn't go back to the second floor, but went to the basement.

In "Records of Righteous Demon Suppression," whether it was artifacts or kung fu, it required a lot of time and energy, almost impossible to achieve overnight, so Li Zhuiyuan decided to go choose another set of books to read during the gaps.

"Slap!"

The flashlight turned on, and Li Zhuiyuan walked toward those boxes.

Suddenly, at the edge of the flashlight's light circle, there seemed to be a black shadow wriggling.

Li Zhuiyuan was startled, subconsciously aiming the flashlight at it; that long black shadow also seemed to be startled and began to swim quickly.

It was a small snake!

"Phew..."

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips; he was really afraid just now that something terrifying had entered the basement.

It was just that after this small snake moved left and then right, it turned and swam toward Li Zhuiyuan's side.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't very afraid of snakes; he had followed his mother to some excavation sites before, where there were many snakes.

However, he wasn't professional and brave enough to dare ignore the snake, even if it was very small, so he was still retreating; when his back hit the box, the copper lock on the box made a crisp sound.

This movement should have startled the snake; it quickly changed direction, and Li Zhuiyuan's flashlight light circle kept shining on it until it drilled into a wall corner and disappeared, where there was a crack the thickness of a finger.

After the snake left, Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at the box he had just hit.

Because this box was located at the very edge of the box group, it had never been opened by him.

Then this time, it's you.

Picking up the flashlight, he shone it at the books in the box and found that there was a lot of dust on top; it wasn't sealed by dust, but the inside was covered with dust when it was packed.

Turning his head to the side, he blew several times continuously, and the covers of the books in the top row barely appeared.

According to past experience, the books placed at the very top in each box were relatively average; good books had to be dug from below.

Li Zhuiyuan originally intended to do so, until he saw the names of the two sets of books placed in the middle of the first row at the very top.

"Liu Family Qi-Watching Technique," "Qin Family Dragon-Watching Method."

Liu Family, Qin Family?

In Li Zhuiyuan's mind, the ancestral tablets on the altar in the east room, full of Qin and Liu family surnames, couldn't help but emerge.

"It wouldn't be such a coincidence, would it?"

Li Zhuiyuan took these two sets of books out; they were very simple, without covers.

"Liu Family Qi-Watching Technique" had three volumes, all quite thick; "Qin Family Dragon-Watching Method" had four volumes, also relatively thick, and they weren't divided by scrolls.

"Could it be that Grandma Liu put them here at Great-Grandfather's place?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head quickly; no, Great-Grandfather said that the books in the basement had been deposited here by someone for many years, and Liu Yumei and her family hadn't been at Great-Grandfather's place for too long.

It was even less possible that Liu Yumei knew there were books in Great-Grandfather's basement, so she secretly put her own family's unique learning here.

First, Liu Yumei had no reason to do so; second, the dust on the books had already silently told of the long time they had been sealed.

"Alright, just these two sets."

Li Zhuiyuan himself didn't know whether he was curious about the content in these two sets of books, or curious about the affairs of the Qin and Liu families.

Closing the box again, Li Zhuiyuan held the two sets of books and walked out of the basement; after going to the second floor, he placed the books on the desk, tore off the covers of each book, rolled them up and lit them, then put them into his water cup one by one.

To some extent, he still needed to cover it up.

These seven books in total, the clearest words were the book titles on the covers.

Li Zhuiyuan liked to read books on the terrace on the second floor, so he shouldn't accidentally let Liu Yumei see the book titles.

As for A Li who liked to sit beside him and read books with him, that didn't matter; no need to hide it; anyway, A Li wouldn't tell on him.

Auntie Liu's voice came from the dam:

"Time for dinner!"

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs, sat at his small table, and A Li had already sat down early waiting for him.

"Hungry?"

A Li nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan revealed a smile on his face; he felt that if he could continue to improve, the girl wouldn't be too far from being able to speak.

However, if he continued...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

Li Sanjiang sneezed three times in a row; he washed his hair before dawn, and this was catching a cold.

"Great-Grandfather, after eating, I'll accompany you to Doctor Zheng's place to get some medicine or get an injection."

"Not going; this little illness, sleep for a night and it will be fine."

Auntie Liu brought the soup and put it down, laughing: "There is such a kind of person in this world; they are very diligent in persuading others to see a doctor, but when it's their turn to get sick, they refuse to go no matter what."

Li Zhuiyuan said again: "Great-Grandfather, it's settled; I'll go with you later."

This time he emphasized his tone, because he was worried about Great-Grandfather's current condition, which might not be able to withstand illness.

"Fine, fine, fine, go, go!"

As for A Li, who liked to sit beside him and keep him company while he read, that didn't matter; there was no need to hide it from her, as A Li wouldn't tell on him anyway.

Liu Yi's voice came from the terrace:

"Dinner is ready!"

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and sat at his small table; A Li was already seated, waiting for him.

"Are you hungry?"

A Li nodded.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face once again; he felt that if he could continue to help her improve, the day the girl would be able to speak shouldn't be too far off.

However, if things were to continue like this...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

Li Sanjiang sneezed three times in a row; he had washed his hair before dawn, and now he had caught a cold.

"Great-grandfather, after dinner, I'll go with you to Dr. Zheng's to get some medicine or a shot."

"No need, it's just a minor ailment; I'll be fine after a good sleep."

Liu Yi brought the soup over, set it down, and laughed, "There are people in this world who are very diligent in urging others to see a doctor, but when they get sick themselves, they refuse to go no matter what."

Li Zhuiyuan said again, "Great-grandfather, it's settled; I'll go with you in a little while."

This time he spoke with a heavier tone, because he was worried that his great-grandfather's current condition might not be able to withstand an illness.

"Fine, fine, fine, if we go, we go, let's go!"

Li Sanjiang waved his hand and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

Liu Yi laughed again, "In the end, it's still the great-grandson's words that carry weight, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan had just finished portioning out a small dish for A Li when he heard Auntie Zhang shouting from the village road in the distance, across a field of rice:

"Little Yuan Hou, Little Yuan Hou, a phone call, it's from the capital!"

Li Sanjiang hurriedly urged, "Go quickly, Little Yuan Hou, it must be your mother calling."

"Then Great-grandfather, I'm going. Brother Runsheng, come with me."

"Ah? Oh, okay."

Runsheng had just waited for dinner to be served and was about to light the incense, but since Little Yuan had asked, he nodded and stood up immediately, following Li Zhuiyuan as they walked out.

From a long way off, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Weihan and Cui Guiying standing outside the small shop.

That made sense; since Auntie Zhang had notified him, how could she not have notified his grandparents? Besides, from his mother's perspective, he should be living at his grandparents' house now, not his great-grandfather's.

Behind his grandparents were a group of Li family children, all happily sharing snacks. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan arrive, Shitou and Hu Zi immediately brought some snacks over:

"Brother Yuanzi, come, eat, Grandma bought them for us, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Cui Guiying usually couldn't bear to buy snacks for the children at home; after all, there were so many children now, and he wondered how much money it would cost to provide for all of them.

The reason she was willing to buy them today was because she was too happy—her daughter had finally called back.

One had to know that the last time their daughter had returned, she had brought her ex-husband along; they hadn't been married yet, and Little Yuan didn't exist. Since then, their daughter hadn't returned once in all these years.

A few years ago, their daughter would occasionally send a telegram or a letter to send her regards, but even that had gradually stopped.

Although gifts for holidays and festivals were always mailed on time, and the quarterly support payments were always wired without fail;

Logically speaking, their daughter had already done far better than the children of their peers in the village, but as parents, sometimes they just wanted to hear their daughter's voice and talk to her.

This wish had been suppressed for too long, gradually becoming a luxury.

"Little Yuan Hou, hurry, it's a call from your mother; Grandma and your mother just finished talking." A brilliant smile was on Cui Guiying's face, and she reached out to pat Li Weihan on the back, "Hurry, Little Yuan Hou is here, give the phone to Little Yuan Hou."

Although Li Weihan was very reluctant, he still shouted into the phone, "Yes, yes, yes, Lan Hou, I'll let Little Yuan Hou take the call now; don't hang up when you're done, I'll continue talking to you in a bit."

Li Zhuiyuan was very puzzled; his mother would actually take the initiative to call, and even more unbelievably, she would chat with his grandparents for so long.

Li Weihan solemnly handed the receiver to his grandson, "Hurry, your mother misses you; Lan Hou, I'm letting your son take the call."

Li Zhuiyuan still didn't want to believe it was true; although he had been hoping his mother would call, he knew very well that hope was not the same as a wish.

Pressing the receiver to his ear, Li Zhuiyuan heard a woman's voice from the other end: "Hello, is that Little Yuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan's mouth twitched; the person on the other end wasn't his mother, but her secretary, Auntie Xu. He remembered that Auntie Xu's hometown was also in Nantong.

So, the person who had been talking to his grandparents earlier wasn't his mother, Li Lan, but Auntie Xu.

His grandparents, having not seen their daughter for so many years and not having spoken to her on the phone, had long since forgotten what her voice sounded like. Plus, Auntie Xu could understand the Nantong dialect, so it was impossible for them to tell that it wasn't their daughter herself.

At this moment, looking at his grandparents, who were beaming with more joy than during the New Year, Li Zhuiyuan felt a strong sense of revulsion toward his mother's behavior.

Li Weihan: "Little Yuan Hou, hurry and call her Mom, hurry up; your mother says she misses you very much, hurry and tell your mother you miss her too."

Cui Guiying: "Little Yuan Hou is probably shy; don't cry when you hear your mother's voice, or you'll be crying and calling for Mom tonight, giving Uncle Sanjiang a headache, hehe."

It was clear that his grandparents were looking forward to him calling out "Mom" for their daughter on the other end, as they hadn't yet seen the interaction between their daughter and grandson, and the brothers and sisters around them were all laughing and teasing.

Although he knew it was Auntie Xu on the other end, Li Zhuiyuan still put on a shy expression, gripped the receiver tightly with both hands, and shouted excitedly, filled with longing:

"Mom, I miss you so much!"

They must have been on speakerphone on the other end, as footsteps could be heard approaching and then receding.

Li Zhuiyuan could imagine that when his grandparents were talking to Auntie Xu as if she were their daughter, the owner of the footsteps had found it noisy and deliberately walked away to a place where she couldn't hear.

Now, that person in the distance had walked back, and Auntie Xu had walked out.

So, the person who would speak next was his mother.

A sense of anticipation rose in Li Zhuiyuan's heart; although such a thought was inappropriate and incorrect, he couldn't stop himself from thinking: It seems his mother treated him differently than she treated his grandparents.

Finally, Li Lan's voice came from the other end:

"Li Zhuiyuan, you've become even more disgusting now."

(End of chapter)